Chris

And yet that is what true provocation is. Simply asserting that Russia was provoked creates a context in which its subsequent actions may be viewed less critically. Phrases like ‘Russia was provoked’ and ‘Russia has legitimate security concerns’ are shared freely on the bulletin boards of the world but they are just smokescreens for the Tsarist ambitions of a tyrant. Repeating them adds to the propaganda campaign that seeks to mitigate in Russia’s favour.

You may not have intended to do this, but by digesting and repeating the commentary emanating from the sources you appear to prefer, this is what you’re doing. You may not personally be attempting to create a more sympathetic hearing for Russia but those who are ultimately behind this most certainly do. In your attempt to sound even-handed you’re acting in the service of those who wish to create (at best) a moral equivalence between Ukraine and Russia.

In terms of who invaded who, and who is trying to stop genocide, there really, really isn’t any moral equivalence at all. And right now, while people are dying in their thousands, that’s what matters, because from the Ukrainian perspective, if they stop fighting, their people’s suffering will only increase.